- No surprise here! - The waiting may be
the hardest part, but Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers might
not have to wait much longer to get into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame.
They were voted the most deserving nominees for induction
in The Plain Dealer's second annual reader's choice rock
hall poll.
"We're very grateful to all the people who voted, and
we're humbled by the whole experience," Petty said in a
statement issued through his publicist. "We're very
flattered. . . . We love Cleveland."
Perennial heavy-metal contenders Black Sabbath,
Southern-rock mainstays Lynyrd Skynyrd, punk's beloved
Ramones, hard-rock heroes AC/DC, new-wave wonders
Talking Heads and soul man Isaac Hayes were the other
top vote-getters, in order of popularity. Readers and
visitors to the Cleveland Live Web site submitted more
than 340 ballots.
Petty, 51, is in the middle of recording a new album
with the Heartbreakers. "It's probably the best thing
I've ever done," the singer-guitarist said. "Things
are going really great. It's mind-boggling."
It's only a matter of time before he and his band make
it back to Northeast Ohio. "We're planning to tour
erratically - and erotically - for the rest of our lives,"
he said.
Petty and the Heartbreakers released their self-titled
debut album in 1976.
They remain among today's most popular rock acts,
with more than a dozen Top 40 hits to their credit,
including "Don't Do Me Like That," "Refugee" and
"Don't Come Around Here No More."
Nominated along with Petty on the official rock hall
ballot are longtime sidekicks Mike Campbell (guitar),
Benmont Tench (keyboards) and Howie Epstein (bass), as well
as ex-band members Ron Blair (bass) and Stan Lynch (drums).
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Nothing Petty
Tom Petty News - October 2001
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